“Beyond the Glass Facade ”: occupational social work perspective on shopping mall workers

This study examines the psychosocial risks experienced by shopping mall workers and explores implications for occupational social work practice. A qualitative research design was employed, involving in-depth interviews with 31 shopping mall workers in Istanbul. Data were analysed through thematic analysis using MAXQDA 2024. The findings were organised into three themes: 1) loss of control over time, body, and labour; 2) hierarchy, emotional labour, and relations of pressure; and 3) precarity and future uncertainty. Workers described uneven workloads, extended hours, restricted rest, physical strain, and health-threatening environments, alongside emotional suppression, managerial pressure, hierarchical control, role ambiguity, bodily regulation, strained peer relations, economic insecurity, and work–life difficulties. Rather than framing these challenges as individual stressors, the study highlights their structural and organisational dimensions. The findings underscore the need for context-sensitive occupational social work approaches that address psychosocial risk through ethically grounded, practice-informed, and policy-relevant interventions in service-sector employment settings.